A Flower that Starts to Bloom
by YuriFan300
Summary: After Shizuma leaves for an important trip, Mizuho and Hitomi were left to take care of some things. But they slowly start to develop feelings for each other after a while.
1. Strange Feelings

**A Flower that Starts to Bloom**

**Pairing: Mizuho x Hitomi**

**Genre: Romance**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Hey, there! This is my first Mizuho x Hitomi fanfic. Please enjoy! ;)**

On one beautiful afternoon, two girls stand near the Strawberry Dorms, watching a certain someone walk over with luggage in her hands. Mizuho Kanou, the girl with dark violet hair and Hitomi Tougi, the other girl with short dark red hair, stand by each other as they watch their long time friend, Shizuma Hanazono pack the last bag. When she closes the trunk, she tells the driver that she needs a minute and walks over to her two best friends.

"Okay, girls," Shizuma says. "I'm off now. Are you going to be okay with all the stuff going on while I'm gone?"

"Of course, Shizuma-sama," Mizuho replies.

"We'll be just fine," Hitomi adds. "Good luck on your trip. I hope your parents will do okay."

"Thanks. It's just a slight fever, but they told me that I should take care of them." The silver haired girl turns to leave. "There's not much to do, but make sure everything's the way it is, okay?"

"We will," Mizuho and Hitomi say in unison.

Shizuma nods as she waves to her friends. Both of them wave back as Shizuma enters the car. The two turn to each other, giggle and turn back to the dorms. They enter the empty lobby, walk up the stairs and into their room. Mizuho and Hitomi had been roommates for a very long time, probably since they had met Shizuma back in kindergarden. They got along very well and eventually became best friends since then.

Mizuho sits down on the bed as she gazes at a picture of the two of them when they were very young.

"Hey, Hitomi," she says as she picks it up.

"Yes?" the dark red haired girl says as she sits down next to her friend.

"Remember when my mother took this?" Mizuho shows Hitomi the picture. "We were still in kindergarden when we suddenly bumped into each other."

"Oh, I remember that," Hitomi says. "You were playing in the sandbox that one time when I decided to join you. You were a bit lonely were you?"

"Yes, I was," Mizuho says softly. It was actually the time when they first met. While Mizuho was playing alone, Hitomi had noticed that she needed someone to play with, so she joined Mizuho into making sand castles and stuff. They had so much fun together that they quickly became good friends.

"It was great seeing each other every day," Hitomi says. "You looked so happy back then."

"Yes. Then, we met Shizuma-sama about 3 weeks after that." Mizuho says. "She wanted to join us and decided to play tag together."

"Ah, Shizuma-sama. We'll never forget that day."

Both of them sigh happily as silence fills the air. Yes, there are some good times they had with Shizuma. Mizuho and Hitomi were glad they were good friends with her. They even try to support each other whenever they can. Mizuho turns to her friend who is staring ahead at the window near her. For some reason, the dark violet haired girl begins to feel something in her chest. She looks down and slowly puts her hand up to where her heart is. She can feel it beating rapidly. _Huh?_ she thinks to herself. _What is this? Why is my heart beating so fast?_

Hitomi stands up from the bed and goes to the door. "Well then, do you want to check out the green house? I'm sure Otori-san and Konohana-san had already done the flowers, but we should check to make sure the pots are in the right place."

"Oh, sure," Mizuho says as she stands up as well.

Both of them lock the room and head towards the Etoile greenhouse. Mizuho and Hitomi then split up to check each of the flower pots and water some flowers that might have not been watered yet. Then, Mizuho notices a flower that's toppled over on its side, leaving some dirt coming out of the pot. She picks it up and notices that it's a rose left out from the others. She gently puts it back in its place and sets the pot with the other roses. Hitomi comes over shortly after and notices Mizuho smiling at the rows of roses placed on the table in front of her.

"Don't they look nice?" Mizuho asks.

"They sure do," Hitomi replies while putting her hands on her hips and smiling. "Otori-san and Konohana-san did a nice job sorting them out."

"They are the current Etoile after all." Mizuho stands up and stands by her friend. "Did you water the plants?"

"Yes," Hitomi replies. "Out in the back they needed some water."

"That's good. Well, since we're done early, shall we go back?"

"Sure. I'm sure everything else is fine."

They are about to head back when Mizuho suddenly trips over a watering can that's on the ground.

"AHHHHH!" she screams.

"Mizuho!" Hitomi quickly rushes in and catches her in time before Mizuho hits the flower bed.

The dark violet haired girl opens her eyes and slowly looks to see that her friend had caught her.

"Are you alright?" Hitomi asks.

"Y-yes!" Mizuho replies. "Thank you."

Hitomi helps her friend up. "You should really watch where you're walking. You could've gotten really dirty and ruined the flower bed."

"I'm sorry." Mizuho says, softly.

"Anyway, let's go back to the dorms."

"Okay."

As both of them start to head back, Mizuho starts to get this feeling in her chest again. _It's happening again. Why am I having those feelings? _She couldn't figure out what that feeling is. It could've occurred after Hitomi had saved her, but that's all she could think of. Whatever those feelings were, she hopes they don't happen again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, this is my first chapter. A bit short, but it will get better. I'm surprised that there are no stories about them, even though they seem to be minor characters. So, I decided to step in and write a fanfic about them. What also surprises me is the character design. They were drawn differently from the manga and anime. I had no idea that was them when I looked up the anime versions of them. And to be honest, I kind of like both of them, though the anime versions are better. **

**So, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	2. Questioning

**Chapter 2**

**Questioning**

The next day, Mizuho wakes up to notice Hitomi is gone. She sits up and looks around the room for a bit, but she's nowhere to be found. Then, she finds a piece of paper on Hitomi's bed, which is strange to her. She gets up and unfolds the paper to find that it's a note.

_I'm off to do a little shopping for a bit. I'll be back soon._

_- Hitomi_

Then, Mizuho starts to remember something. Since it's going to be spring vacation tomorrow and there's no school today, they might need a few things to keep them going. In fact, both of them decide to stay in Astraea Hill for a bit longer just to do what Shizuma requested. Though there's not much to do, like she told them, Mizuho believes that there's still some things that need to be done throughout vacation. With that in mind, Mizuho decides to get changed while she waits for Hitomi to get back. It took about 10 minutes until Mizuho is fully dressed in a beautiful pink summer dress. _I haven't worn this in a while,_ she thinks to herself. _And I can't believe it still fits me._

The door opens and out comes Hitomi with a few grocery bags. "I'm back." She then notices Mizuho in her dress. "Wow! You look . . . great! It's been a while since you've worn that."

"Oh! Th-thanks," Mizuho replies while blushing. "I decided to wear this for today."

"That's good," Hitomi digs into one of the bags. "Um, I was looking around the store for a bit and I found this." She takes out a beautiful bracelet with a pink flower on top.

"H-Hitomi . . ." Mizuho begins to blush even more.

"Since we've been friends for a long time, I wanted to give you this," Hitomi explains. "As a token of our longtime friendship." She takes Mizuho's hand and puts the bracelet on her. "There. It fits perfectly on you."

"Thank you so much, Hitomi," Mizuho says.

"No problem. Look I even got one, too." The dark red haired girl holds up her wrist as proof.

"Oh, my! That's very lovely!"

"Hehe! Thanks." She puts down the bags, walks over and sits down on her bed. "So . . . what do you want to do?"

"Well, since there's no school today, I thought we'd take a walk around for a bit. I mean, it's a beautiful day out, don't you think?"

Hitomi looks out the window and nods. "That's not a bad idea. Okay. But first, do you want to get some breakfast on the way?"

"Sure. I am getting a bit hungry."

"Good. Then let's get going."

Both of them leave and lock the room as they exit the Strawberry Dorms.

* * *

><p>They get into a little village after about 10 minutes of walking and talking for a little bit. When they are about to arrive at a breakfast restaurant, something catches Mizuho's eye.<p>

"Hitomi," she says. "Isn't that . . . Nagisa-san?"

Her friend turns and notices the same thing. "Yes. Yes she is. And she's with . . . that friend of hers. What was her name again?"

"I believe it's Suzumi-san, right?"

"I wonder what they are doing here," Hitomi says. "Probably getting the same thing, right?"

"Maybe. Do you want to talk to them?" Mizuho asks.

"I don't see why not. It doesn't hurt to get to know them a little, right?"

Though Mizuho and Hitomi had met Nagisa before, they rarely even talk to each other since they are mostly with Shizuma. And they have yet to talk with Tamao Suzumi. Both of them believe that this will be very interesting, so they casually walk up to them.

"Hello," Mizuho says, waving.

Nagisa turns and notices the two walking towards them. "Oh! You're Shizuma-sama's friends, right? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes," Hitomi replies. "And we thought this might be a good time to introduce ourselves and have a little chat while having breakfast."

"That's a great idea!" Tamao says. "You're more than welcome to join us!"

"Excellent," Mizuho says as she clears her throat. "By the way, my name is Mizuho Kanou."

"And my name is Hitomi Tougi," the dark red haired girl adds.

Both of them bow respectfully.

"Nice to meet you," Naigsa says, returning the bow.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you both," Tamao adds, bowing as well.

"Well then, since we're all here, let's order some breakfast," Hitomi suggests.

* * *

><p><strong>10 minutes later . . .<strong>

"Wow! I didn't know Shizuma-sama had to go away on a trip," Nagisa says after ordering her food. "When did she leave?"

"Yesterday," Mizuho replies. "I don't know when she'll be back, but it seems like it was a very serious trip."

"She was just going to take care of her ill parents," Hitomi adds. "Nothing else, unless there is and Shizuma-sama is not telling us."

"Don't worry," Tamao says. "Look at the bright side." She hugs Nagisa. "I get to spend time with my dear Nagisa without Shizuma interfering! And even better, the whole spring vacation!"

"Uh, th-thanks, Tamao," Nagisa says while sweat dropping.

Mizuho and Hitomi giggle.

"You two get along very well," Mizuho points out.

"We sure do!" Tamao says, keeping her arms wrapped around her friend. "We became roommates the first day she transferred here. I was so happy to get a cute girl like her!"

"That's great," Hitomi says.

"Oh, yeah!" Nagisa says as she successfully pulls away. "Are you two roommates or anything? The last time I saw you two, you always seem to be together, almost like a couple."

This makes Mizuho blush. "Um . . . we are roommates, but I don't know if 'couple' is the right word for it."

"We have been roommates since kindergarten," Hitomi explains. "We had met each other while playing on the sandbox that one time. I noticed that Mizuho was lonely with no one else to play with. So, I decided to join her and the both of us quickly became good friends."

"Then, about three weeks after we met," Mizuho adds. "We met Shizuma-sama. She just suddenly appeared and wanted to play tag with us. The three of us then became friends as well."

Nagisa and Tamao smile at their story.

"Wow!" Nagisa says. "That's really amazing how all of you first met!"

"You three seem to get along very well, too," Tamao adds.

"Thanks," Mizuho says as she turns to her friend. "We do have some hard times, but somehow, we always try to solve our problems. We always support and help each other out whenever one of us need it and have never left each others' side."

"We do the same thing," Tamao says. "We study together, sometimes sleep together and even support each other. We never leave each other's side either."

"Tamao is a great friend," Nagisa says. "And I'm very glad to have her as my roommate. I never want to leave her side, ever."

This makes Tamao squeal with excitement and practically jumps onto her red-haired friend. "OH, NAGISA! THAT'S SO NICE OF YOU TO SAY THAT! I LOVE YOU!"

"AHH! T-TAMAO! WE'RE AT A RESTAURANT!" Nagisa screams.

"I DON'T CARE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE THAT! I LOVE IT!"

Mizuho and Hitomi giggle again and look at each other. Though they have some things in common, their first meeting is a bit different. Still, it's nice to have a friend who always supports you and is always there when you need them. Mizuho even knows that from the time they first met. Hitomi would protect her from bullies, help her with her homework and even play with her when they were in elementary school. She will never forget any of those times Hitomi did for her. And this makes her really happy and blushes again. _This feeling again,_ she thinks to herself. She raises her hand to her chest. _My heart is beating a million miles an hour. What is wrong with me?_

"Mizuho?" Hitomi says, having a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Mizuho replies, sitting up. "I just spaced out for a second."

"Well we can't have that now, can we?" Tamao says. "Because our breakfast is about to be served."

"Yes, let's enjoy our food!" Nagisa says, happily.

"I guess you're right," Mizuho says.

The waiters serve their breakfast and everyone starts eating. But shortly after, Mizuho gets some crumbs of toast on her cheek and Hitomi takes notice.

"Hey, Mizuho," the dark red-haired girl says. "There's some crumbs stuck to your cheek." She takes a napkin and wipes it from her face. Mizuho blushes bright red as Hitomi wipes it clean. "There. All better."

"Th-thank you, Hitomi," the dark-violet haired girl says.

"No problem."

As Mizuho turns back to her food, she couldn't stop these strange feelings that she's having. What could they be? Why is she having those feelings when she's around her? Those questions keep on floating around in her head as everyone else finishes their breakfast. _ Why? I just don't understand,_ Mizuho thinks. _It's like there's something in my heart that's telling me something. But what is it?_

* * *

><p>After breakfast, the four girls exit the restaurant and wave good-bye to each other.<p>

"We should do this next time!" Nagisa says. "I had so much fun with you two!"

"Yes!" Tamao adds. "I agree! You two are the most nicest people we've ever met!"

"Thank you," Hitomi says. "And yes, we should do this next time we meet. You two are nice girls as well."

"Thanks!" Nagisa says. Both she and Tamao turn to leave. "We'll see you both later!"

Mizuho and Hitomi wave to their new friends as they walk back to the dorms. All of a sudden, Hitomi reaches in and takes Mizuho's hand, which catches the dark-violet haired girl in surprise.

"I feel like doing this because I want to," Hitomi says when Mizuho is about to ask. "Remember one time we were walking like this at an empty park? You were really scared about being separated, so I decided that we should hold hands in order not to be separated. And you really liked that. So . . . let's just say I'm just bringing back memories."

Mizuho blushes as she smiles at her friend. "Thank you, Hitomi."

With that, the two walk together back to the dorms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, that's the second chapter for ya! I just don't understand why fanfiction would have Mizuho and Hitomi's name on it when they are just minor characters! Maybe they really do play an important part in the series or not. I don't know. And people don't even bother writing stories about them either! But I'm really glad the site put it in there because they became my favorite characters as well. **

**I'm very glad you guys enjoyed the story so far. And yes, minor characters like Mizuho and Hitomi should get more attention. That's why I'm here. And I'm very glad that I'm here to write creative stories. So thank you for the reviews.**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	3. Falling in Love

**Chapter 3**

**Falling in Love**

Later that day, Mizuho and Hitomi are just outside of the dorms, taking a little walk after relaxing in their dorm for a bit. While doing that, Mizuho can't stop thinking about those feelings she has when she's around Hitomi. She knows a few hints, the heartbeat and the blushing. What could those two mean? So far, Mizuho hasn't found an answer. Soon, both of them find a bench to rest in and sit there while looking at the birds that land in front of them. Mizuho looks over at her friend and down at her hand that's on the bench. She wasn't really sure whether or not she should hold her hand, but trying to decide over it makes her blush. So she pulls her hand away and puts it on her chest again. Her heart is beating again. Then, something starts to pop in Mizuho's head. _Wait a minute, _she thinks. _These strange feelings. I think I know what it is now.__  
><em>

"Are you okay, Mizuho?" Hitomi asks. "You've been acting kind of strange since this morning? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Mizuho feels that she should be honest with her. Taking a few deep breaths, she says, "Hitomi, I've been having this feeling in my chest, like my heart is going a million miles an hour. Whenever I'm around you, I get these feelings again." She leans in closer to her friend. "And I know why I'm having those feelings."

"Mizuho . . ." Somehow, Hitomi is starting to understand what her friend is trying to say and is also blushing.

Mizuho swallows hard. "H-Hitomi, I'm-"

"Excuse me," a familiar voice says.

Both Mizuho and Hitomi look up to notice the student council president of Miator, Miyuki Rokujou walking towards them with another girl beside her. She has medium length orange hair tied into twin braids and is wearing squared glasses.

"President Rokujou-san," Mizuho says.

"Hello, you two," Miyuki says. "How are you doing?"

"Just fine," Mizuho replies. She takes notice of the girl. "Who's this?"

"Oh, this is a new student that's going to be at our school after spring vacation is over," Miyuki replies.

"Hello," the girl says as she bows. "My name is Saya Tougi. I'm Hitomi's cousin!"

Both Mizuho and Hitomi gasp, but Mizuho is the most surprised. _I had no idea that Hitomi had a cousin, _she thinks. _She's kind of cute.__  
><em>

"Hi, Saya," Hitomi says. "What a nice surprise."

Mizuho looks over at her friend and could tell that Hitomi is really not happy to see her. But why?

"Heh, she just transferred here recently, but decided to have her dorm room now than having it the first day back," Miyuki says. "Say, does one of you want to show Saya around the dorms?"

"Sure, but what room is she going to be in?" Hitomi asks.

"Oh, she'll be in the same room as you two," Miyuki replies.

Mizuho and Hitomi jump back in shock. _NO WAY!_ Both of them think. They never expected this. They thought the dorm room is made for only one or two people. However, Saya holds up a yellow sleeping bag with a smile.

"I was the one who decided to live with the two of you," she says. "But mostly, to spend time with my cousin after all these years!"

"Oh, th-that's great," Hitomi says. "Say, why don't we walk to your room and prepare everything, okay?"

"Sounds good to me!" Saya says. She eyes Mizuho with a dark aura around her.

The dark-violet haired girl seemed a little scared at first, but just as she is about to say something, the aura quickly vanishes and Saya comes over to her.

"I hope we can get along well," Kiyomi says. "What's your name?"

"I'm Mizuho Kanou," the dark-violet haired girl replies. "I'm Hitomi's friend."

"Glad to hear it. Well then, time for me to prepare my bed in your room!" The orange haired girl happily runs in to join her cousin and are on their way back to the dorms.

Mizuho then turns to Miyuki. "That girl seems . . . nice?"

Miyuki just shrugs. "Well, she can be a handful, but just try to get along with her, please."

Mizuho just nods. Then, Mizuho decides to ask the president about her feelings when she's around Hitomi. "Um, Rokujou-san? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Let's just say that a girl is around another who is really close to her," Mizuho explains. "But then she suddenly starts to have these feelings, like her heart beating really fast and the constant blushing. And every time this girl is around her, these feelings start to come up again."

"What are you trying to say, Kanou-san?" Miyuki asks, having a concerned look in her eyes.

Mizuho looks at Miyuki with worried eyes. "I think I'm in love with Hitomi."

Miyuki gasps. "Really!? Since when?"

"Well . . . probably just recently, I guess. I mean, I've been with her all my life, including Shizuma-sama, but I never expected to have these types of feelings. Maybe that's why they came up all of a sudden."

Miyuki looks down at the ground with a pained look in her eyes. "I see. Well, I just want to warn you: falling in love with someone can be amazing, but it can also be very painful."

"What do you mean?" Mizuho asks, being slightly scared when she heard the word "painful".

"I've . . . been through this kind of stuff before," Miyuki says, honestly. "So did Shizuma. So you better be careful. You may never know what's going to come your way."

Mizuho nods a little. "Okay. I'll remember that."

Miyuki nods as well as she turns to leave. "For now, just focus on getting along with your new friend. You might have some things in common with her."

Mizuho nods again as she waves to the president. She then lowers her hand to her chest as she feels her heart beating again. _ I'm . . . in love . . . with Hitomi.__  
><em>

* * *

><p>That night, Mizuho sits on her bed while Saya is getting ready. Hitomi looks down at the floor with pained look in her eyes. Mizuho takes notice and sits by her best friend.<p>

"What's wrong, Hitomi?" she asks.

"Why did Saya have to transfer here?" Hitomi says, softly.

"She looked cute and nice to me. I'm sure we can get along well."

"No she's not."

Mizuho gasps. "What do you mean?"

"You see, she's-"

"Okay! The bath is ready!" Saya calls from the bathroom. She opens the door and notices Mizuho sitting next to Hitomi. "Um, I want to have a talk with Mizuho-chan for a second. I want to get to know her."

"Sure thing," Hitomi gets up and walks towards the bathroom. "Be good, you two."

"We will!" Saya says happily.

As the door closes, Mizuho smiles at the orange haired girl. "So . . . what do you want to talk about? I'm sure there's lots of things we can talk about, like your favorite food, favorite sport-"

"Listen . . . to me," Saya says, coldly.

Mizuho's smile fades as she backs away an inch. Saya hops on the bed next to her and leans in toward her. "If you ever come close to my Hitomi, I'll make sure you will wake up . . . in oblivion!" She leans closer until she's inches from Mizuho's face. "I mean it, Mizuho!"

"B-but why?" Mizuho says, trembling in fear.

Saya just smirks as she gets off the bed and prepares her bed. Mizuho is starting to understand this girl's unexpected behavior. _Is this what Hitomi was trying to tell me? _Not only did she discover her love for her best friend, but she also discovered a rival that's planning to get her if she's not careful. All Mizuho could do is stay frozen on the bed, eyeing Saya as she hums happily while sitting down on the sleeping bag. _  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's the third chapter. Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


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